Wednesday, April 10, 2013

3.000 People on demonstration against racism and exclusion in Hamburg

6th of april 2013, 2pm, Hamburg main stationDaily Racism
Racism happens every day in Germany. Not only neofacists act in racist
ways but racism is deeply rooted in our society, in our politics, media
and in the field of research and science. Discriminating terms which
reduce humans to their economical applicability and cultural racism like
the equation of islam to terrorism or honour killings contribute to a
hostile social climate which has its peak in open violence like the
recent neofacist murders (by the so-called NSU) or the incendiary
attacks in Rostock-Lichtenhagen.Governmental racism criminalises, excludes and kills
A huge amount of special-purpose laws degrades asylum seekers to humans
of second class. They are restricted in their freedom of movement, they
are forced to live in isolated camps (lager), they are not allowed to
leave the places to which they were allocated (residential obligation /
Residenzpflicht). People are not allowed to work and are interfered in
their right for education, medical help and social security benefits
etc.
Furthermore the constant threat of deportation and detention pending deportation harms their lives. Basic right for asylum?
By changing the constitution 20 years ago the basic right for asylum was
effectively abolished. A right for asylum remains only for people who
did not apply for asylum in so-called safe third countries meaning other
European countries. Because of Germany’s geographical position in
Europe you can only enter Germany by plane and then apply for asylum
there. Therefore Germany closes its borders for refugees instead of
taking its responsibility for many causes of fleeing.

Fortress Europe
The assault on refugees already starts before they even enter Germany or
Europe: Since 1993 the European Union leads a non-declared war against
refugees and migrants. According to the UNHCR this war lead to the death
of 16 000 people. In 2011 over 2000 boat refugees have lost their lives
in the Mediterranean sea – citing only the official numbers. The EU
agency FRONTEX controlls its borders in cooperation with military and
police forces by installing gigantic fences, hightech surveillance,
deportation prisons and continous operations. They refuse to rescue
victims of wreckage and demonstrate that this “letting die“ is an
official EU strategy to scare people away.
But the human right for freedom of movement can’t be taken away from anyone.Benefits from racism for capitalism
Racism is indeed useful for the powerful people in politics and economy:
In the case of foreign affairs racism serves geostrategical and
military interests. Hostile and racist images create the impression of a
permanent threat and thus the approval of the population to the German
war politics is gained. Concerning domestic politics the racist ideology
ensures the system and hides the roots of social injustice: Justified
complaints of the population don’t grow to social protests against the
class society but find their expression in the racist claiming of
scapegoats. The splitting into “we“ and “the others“
legitimates the exploitation of migrants, the inducing of surveillance and racist controlls.

Racism affects everyone
It is evident that racism should belong to the ash heap of history since a long time.
But racism is constantly reproduced as discrimination of some people
continues and privileges for others evolve in the same time. Stereotypes
influence daily decisions: If some people don’t get a flat because of
their supposed non-German name, others will profit from this
discrimination. Consequently the fight against racism affects all of us
and has to be lead on all levels.
Everyone can start to recognize and change his or her racist language, stereotypes and behavior. Hamburg – Gate to the world?
The city of Hamburg is claimed to be a open-minded city (and gate to the
world). The mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz, announced in his speech
against the neo-Nazi march on the 2nd June 2012 the high level of
tolerance that is practised in the city.
But it is his social democratic party which prolonged and even extended
the ending treaty for the asylum seeker’ s lager in Horst although him
and his party critised the conditions in the lager before as an
opposition party. It is a secluded lager for arriving asylum seekers in
the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The people who have to live there
have hardly any access to lawyers, hospitals or counselling centres. It
is aimed to isolate them from the rest of the society.
The city of Hamburg also shows inhuman harshness in the way they treat
Roma people which have been persecuted for hundreds of years and which
have been killed systematically during the German facism. Roma families
are deportated even during winter times to Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo
where they have to face structural discrimination and racist violence.
In 2011 and 2012 256 people (among them mainly Roma) were deported from
Hamburg to Macedonia and Serbia. Over 400 Roma have been forced to agree
to their so-called “voluntary departure“. Even those 13 Roma families
from Hamburg who fought together for their residence in 2011/2012, for
example through handing in petitions at the city’s government, were
forced to leave Hamburg or were deported, remaining one exception. Fight racism – solidarity with the refugee strike!
There are always people who show resistance against the racist normality
and who fight for a better life. In the movement for the defense of the
refugees’ rights people from different countries came together to
protest against the inhuman conditions that dircectly affect them. The
refugees fight for freedom, egality and equality. We explicitly support
the claims of these protests!
-Stop all deportations!
-Abolish residential obligation (Residenzpflicht)!
-Abolish the obligation to live in camps, close all isolation camps (Lager)!
-Approve all asylum seekers as political refugees!
Nobody is able to split us! We fight together for a solidary
society, free from any form of racism! We want to live in a world in
which people and their needs are focused instead of profits and
interests of power!